The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-08-29
QUEER FAMILY HISTORY
RELATED BY THE GRANDMOTHER
OF LIEUT.. PERKINS BABY.

RELATED BY THE GRANDMOTHER
OF LIEUT. PERKINS BABY.
She Believes Her Divorced Husband
Instigated the Proceedings to Re-
cover the Child-Alienated from Her
Father.
From the Netc York Sun.
PoUGHKEEPsrE, Aug. 24-Mrs. Annie
Elizabeth Coke, the grandmother of Lieut.
Perkins baby has made statement charg-
ing that William Knox, from whom she
was divorced, is at the head of the proceed
iegs against her to secure the possession Of
her grandchild. She says that i'll 1879
Knox had an office at $40 Broadway, New
York, as agent for the Clyde Steamship
Company and Georgia Central Railroad;
that he overdrew his account $1,000, and
asked her to sell her property to help him
oat. although he hadn't lived with her for
over two years. She refused, and he went
to her personal friends and borrowed money.
At the time she refused he knocked her
down, when her daughter interfered and
drove him from the room This was at the
Ashlan House, New York. Mrs. Coke
added:
my mother was Miss Harriet Perkins, of
Franklin, Tenn She was the daughter of
Judge Nicholas Perkins, of the Supreme
Court She was also great niece of Henry
Clay and niece of John Bell. once a candi-
date for the Presidency, and first cousin
of Mrs Stonewall Jackson, who was the
aunt of Lieut.. Perkins. With this blood in
his veins l do not think that Lieut.. Perkins
could possibly be capable of being the insti-
gator of such proceeding as is now pend
arI Nln
who are doing this go by the name of Knox,
and they live in Alabama
''The day my daughter drove Knox
away, Knox swore he would hunt me down
to the day of his death, and that he would
make me call on the mountains to cover
me- He said he hoped to see the day when
both my daughter and myself would be beg
gars at his mothers door. After that he
never came near me until my daughter
died, and then right away he began his per-
secutions, even while my daughter lay
dead in the house on Lexington avenue.
Last spring, when my daughter went
to Alabama in delicate state of health,
intending to stay with her grandmother,
hoping to save expenses on account of her
husbands limited means, her grandmother
drove her out of her house before the first
week expired. Lieut. Perkins must know
where ! and the baby are. gave my ad
dress to the people at the house in Lexing
ton avenue, and asked Father COLLATION., of
St Stephens church, who was present
when my daughter died, to give my address
to Lieut.. Perkins at any time he applied for
it, and / have been looking for Mr.. Perkins
TO come here or send a letter since Aug ii.
II have been estranged from my father,
Robert E. Coke, over twenty-one years |
am his daughter by his first wife. After my
mother died, he married the daughter of
the late Thomas L. Davies, of this city,
who is in every respect a noble woman.
My daughter eloped with Lieut.. Perkins.
They were cousins and |, therefore, OBJ
jected TO the union. | don't blame the
Lieutenant for it, Ny daughter knew |
would oppose it and, therefore, she favored
the elopement, but that is all past.
helped him to pay his hotel bill, and he
would not have graduated from the Naval
Academy if it had not been for me. He
was we'll up in his studies, but there was
trouble about his physical condition, the
examining surgeon deciding that he was
little off in his head pleaded for him,
got the Admiral of the Navy interested in
him, went to President Arthur and got him
interested, got Allan Campbell and the
Secretary of the Navy Interested, and
finally he went through all right and took
q long sea voyage to the Mediterranean,
and returned in excellent health. Previous
to this he believed that there was something
growing inside of him that was eating him
else
II don't know whether what | am going
to tell you had anything to do with his con-
dition or not, but his great-grandfather
married cousin, his grandfather married
cousin, his father married cousin, and
his wife, my daughter, was his own cousin.
If he comes here and says he gave Mr. Fer
ris power of attorney to take the baby, |
shall think him insane, because there was
insanity in the family. When he decided
that the child must be taken South, it had
been only eight days born, and its condition
was such that it required close medical at
tention. | persisted that the child should
go with the nurse and myself. 1t seemed
to me that Gods providence threw the
nurse in my way, she Is SO noble and so
good.
"My grief is great. Here am, daughter
less, trying to do the best can for my dead
daughters child, deserted by my father, and
hunted by man once my husband. My
fathers conduct toward me is breaking my
heart. For years. on every anniversary of
his marriage with my mother. have writ
ten him a gentle, loving letter, asking for a
fathers love. l also write him ON every an
niversary of the birth of my daughter and
wrote him when my child died, filial, loving
letters, and have never received any answer
to any one of them, and l believe it is kill
ing men
grief and Yept. Resuming, she said:
'Can you blame me for feeling that I
have no friends9 After my mother died,
and the time came for settling the estate
possibly $50, OO0-my father would concede
nothing. OF course 1 was entitled to my
share, and be paid it TO my agent in worth
less notes, and l was compelled to hire a
lawyer to protect myself. | was absent in
Europe educating my child, and when l
returned the matter came up in a Court of
Chancery. My fathers attorney wrote ask
ing if 1t could not be compromised, and
offered to take half the amount due me, af-
ter having written my father an endearing
letter imploring for a return of the old love
as between father and child, and the
matter was finally coldlv and formally set
tied, and to this day have been alone in
the world"
The Church Row.